Iowa softball coach Renee Gillispie not returning after stepping away for ‘personal health matter’

IOWA CITY — Iowa head softball coach Renee Gillispie will not return to the program after stepping away for the 2025 season due to a “personal health matter,” the team announced Tuesday in a press release.

Gillispie was at the helm of the program for six seasons and compiled a 154-169 record. She previously spent 18 seasons as the head coach at UCF and also has coached at Texas Tech, Bradley University and Joliet Junior College.

Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz thanked Gillispie in a press release “for her dedication and passion in the world of softball.”

“In her over 30-year collegiate softball coaching career, she impacted hundreds of student-athletes, and we appreciate her time at Iowa,” Goetz said in the release.

A national search will begin immediately, per the release. Brian Levin, previously an assistant coach on Gillispie’s staff, was the interim head coach before leaving the program earlier this year. Karl Gollan has been the acting head coach.

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